BlogCatalog

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Huffington Post is reporting that Colin Powell will likely endorse Obama soon.

I think Powell would be a great addition to the Obama camp. Obama has already made it clear he plans to have both Republicans and Democrats in his White House cabinet. A great way to balance perspectives!

"Powell probably will enter Obama's camp at a time of his own choosing... Powell praised Obama back in February, saying, "Mr. Obama has done an incredible job . . . He has energized a lot of people in America. He has energized a lot of people around the world." Some have even suggested Obama pick Powell as his VP."

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Obama's campaign manager, David Ploufee, unveiled to reporters in Washington, DC yesterday the Obama campaign's unique and aggressive 50 state strategy. The key factors that can make Obama's strategy a reality include - massive voter identification, registration and turnout efforts, fueled by grassroots support in every state.

"Barack Obama will focus his resources largely in 14 states George W. Bush won in 2004, his chief field operative said Tuesday, hoping to score upsets in places such as Virginia, Indiana and Georgia.

For far too long, both Democrats and Republicans have made little attempt to change the electorate map as we know it. Our "seasoned" politicians have become much too complacent.

Obama is changing the game, and terrorizing Republicans at the same time. In addition to key battleground states for dems, Obama plans to target Republican strongholds in an attempt to turn several RED states BLUE. He is not taking any states for granted.He is targeting states that Democrats before him never considered. He is targeting Georgia (my birth state!) and other southern states that have gone Republican in every presidential election since my birth!

There is also a little known secret in these southern states...UNREGISTERED African American voters. Georgia alone has nearly 600,000 unregistered African American voters. Even a modest increase in turnout amongst this demographic may be enough to help Obama take Georgia, the longheld Republic stronghold.

But winning the White House won’t be his only goal, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand told Politico: In an unusual move, Obama’s campaign will also devote some resources to states it’s unlikely to win, with the goal of influencing specific local contests in places such as Texas and Wyoming... Texas is a great example where we might not be able to win the state, but we want to pay a lot of attention to it,” Hildebrand said. “It’s one of the most important redistricting opportunities in the country.”

Can Obama pull this off? Absolutely! He has the momentum he needs!

The recent LA Times poll revealed...

"Even among voters who said they planned to vote for McCain, more than half said they were 'not enthusiastic' about their chosen candidate; 45% said they were enthusiastic. By contrast, 81% of Obama voters said they were enthusiastic, and almost half called themselves 'very enthusiastic,' a level of zeal found in 13% of McCain's supporters."

LA Times released a new poll this morning that shows Obama with a double-digit 12% lead over John McCain. This is days after the Newsweek Poll revealed a 15% lead for Obama.

"McCain suffers from a pronounced "passion gap," especially among conservatives who usually give Republican candidates a reliable base of support. Among voters who described themselves as conservative, 58% said they would vote for McCain; 15% said they would vote for Obama, 14% said they would vote for someone else, and 13% said they were undecided. By contrast, 79% of voters who described themselves as liberal said they planned to vote for Obama...

Even among voters who said they planned to vote for McCain, more than half said they were "not enthusiastic" about their chosen candidate; 45% said they were enthusiastic. By contrast, 81% of Obama voters said they were enthusiastic, and almost half called themselves "very enthusiastic," a level of zeal found in 13% of McCain's supporters...

Among white voters, Obama and McCain are each at 39%, the poll found. Earlier this year, when Obama ran behind Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) among whites in some primary elections, analysts questioned whether the African American senator could win white voters in the general election.

But the great majority of Clinton voters have transferred their allegiance to Obama, the poll found, with 11% of Clinton voters defecting to McCain..."

"I have pretty eclectic tastes," the Democratic presidential contender said in an interview to be published in Friday's issue of Rolling Stone.

Growing up in the '70s, Obama said, he listened to the Rolling Stones, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Fire. Stevie Wonder is his musical hero from the era. The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" tops his favorites from the band.

The Illinois senator's playlist contains these musicians, along with about 30 songs from Dylan and the singer's "Blood on the Tracks" album. Jazz legends Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker are also in the mix.

"Actually, one of my favorites during the political season is 'Maggie's Farm,'" Obama said of one of Dylan's tracks. "It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric."

In the song, Dylan sings about trying be himself, "but everybody wants you to be just like them."

Several musicians on Obama's iPod support his bid for the White House, including Bruce Springsteen. Earlier this month, Dylan told a British newspaper that he believes Obama is redefining politics in the United States and could deliver change to a nation in upheaval.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

We ran across a great video from Hip Hop for Obama's myspace page. Thanks Jin! Your stuff is always on point!

I want to share this video with our readers. I love the entire video, but I want to specifically ask our readers to pay particular attention to what Obama says at marker 4:30 when he gives his thoughts on Hip Hop.

"The question is, what's the content, what's the message...I understand folks want to be rooted in the community, and they want to be down. What I always say is, is that, hip hop is not just a mirror of what is, it should also be a reflection of what can be...

Imagine something different. Imagine communities that aren’t torn up by violence. Imagine that we’re respecting our women. Imagine communities where knowledge and reading and academic excellence are valued, communities where fathers are doing right by their kids.

Art can’t just be a rearview mirror. It should have a headlight on there pointing to where we need to go." - Barack Obama

A new Newsweek poll released on Friday, June 20th shows Obama with a substantial double digit lead over John McCain...51 percent to 36 percent!

"Obama's current lead reflects the large party-identification advantage the Democrats now enjoy—55 percent of all voters call themselves Democrats or say they lean toward the party while just 36 percent call themselves Republicans or lean that way. Even as McCain seeks to gain voters by distancing himself from the unpopular Bush and emphasizing his maverick image, he is suffering from the GOP's poor reputation among many voters. Still, history provides hope for the GOP..."

Obama will host a fundraiser in Hollywood tonight. Here's what Huffington Post is reporting...

"The Los Angeles event comes just days after Obama spurned the public financing system for the general election, opening the way for him to raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars after the Denver convention in a race in which he's already broken fundraising records...

Top tickets are priced at more than $30,000, with the money divided between the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee...

While wealthy celebrities often lavish money on multiple candidates, Obama's donors already include Will Smith, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Leonard Nimoy and singer Harry Connick Jr. Oprah Winfrey's fundraiser for Obama at her Santa Barbara-area estate was one of the biggest events of the primary season, helping cement Obama's position as a credible challenger to Clinton..."

The Obama camp released a statement in response to Charlie Black's comments to Fortune Magazine.

"Barack Obama welcomes a debate about terrorism with John McCain, who has fully supported the Bush policies that have taken our eye off of al Qaeda, failed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and made us less safe. The fact that John McCain's top advisor says that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a 'big advantage' for their political campaign is a complete disgrace, and is exactly the kind of politics that needs to change. Barack Obama will turn the page on these failed policies and this cynical and divisive brand of politics so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose to finish the fight against al Qaeda," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

A senior advisor for John McCain, Charlie Black, made a disgraceful statement to Fortune Magazine...

Fortune Magazine is running a profile on John McCain titled, "The evolution of John McCain." McCain's chief advisor, Charlie Black, is interviewed in the piece. Below is a choice quote from Black on why he thinks another terrorist attack on US soil would help McCain win the presidency.

On national security McCain wins. We saw how that might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain's chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an "unfortunate event," says Black. "But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us." As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him," says Black.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Verdict with Dan Abrams on MSNBC dropped a bombshell on McCain last night! He has uncovered videos of John McCain stating, on more than one occasion, "I really didn't love America until I was deprived of her company."

This is after McCain's camp has attacked Michelle Obama repeatedly for making a similar statement, "For the first time in my life, I really am proud of my country." Seems like the pot is calling the kettle black.

I actually believe McCain's comment is much worse than Michelle's in that it implies he didn't love his country at all, even upon entering the military; it wasn't until he returned to the US as a POW that he fell in love with her (AMERICA). How ironic...

Unlike Democrats before him, Obama is going all out to protect himself from a swift boating. He is using his newly launched website, Fight the Smears, to fights the many lies circulating the web about him and Michelle Obama.

So, if ever in doubt about something, please take a moment and visit this site.

The Quinnipac Poll released on yesterday, June 18th, evidences an increase of support in for Obama amongst women, blacks and younger voters. Barack Obama leads John McCain among likely voters in FLORIDA, OHIO and PENNSYLVANIA, according to simultaneous Quinnipiac University Swing State polls released today.

This is the first time Obama has led in all three of these states. No one has been elected President since 1960 without taking two of these three largest swing states in the Electoral College.

Obama has made one of the best general election decisions. Obama announces he has decided to opt-out of the Public Fundraising system.

The Obama campaign sent out this email yesterday morning...

Friend --

Barack Obama recorded a video message with an important announcement that he wanted you to hear first. We have made a crucial decision that will impact how we compete in the general election, and it's important that you understand the decision, its implications, and the challenge ahead.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Barack celebrated Father's Day by speaking at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago. He began by quoting the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus closes by saying, “Whoever hears these words of mine, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.”

He addressed MIA fathers in the African-American community, as well as the prevalence of single parenthood.

I've listened to the pundits say that the Gore endorsement is too late, meaningless, etc. Call it what you want. However, I think it's another brilliant move by Obama. The timing and venue (Michigan) could not have been better.

Gore is a constant reminder to Democrats that every vote counts, and how the American people can be cheated out of an election. Not this time!

A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama. From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.

Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America.This moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Barack Obama, the 46 year old senator from Illinois, clinches the Democratic nomination. Obama is the first African-American to be nominated by the democratic party!

Wow, the power of one word, HOPE and faith! Just five months ago, most of America knew very little about Barack Obama. I can recall numerous conversations with people who assured me America wasn't ready for a guy named Obama.

I can now look at my beautiful brown babies and assure them that their choices are endless here in America

Please take a moment to review Obama's victory speech below. You would not assume from Obama's speech that he made history tonight. His entire victory speech was dedicated to US, not to him. He didn't even acknowledge his huge accomplishment as the first African American nominee; instead, he focused on America and reminded us all that this campaign is about US, not HIM. Graceful.

What a huge difference from Clinton's speech, which she dedicated to herself and her inadequate campaign accomplishments.